ANC KZN touts coalitions, courts critics in comeback bid

ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Task Team Coordinator Michael Mabuyakhulu struck a conciliatory yet assertive tone during a civil society engagement in Durban on Wednesday, framing the party’s renewal as a “moral imperative” while defending its coalition-led provincial government as “stable and service-driven”.Indispensable to SA’s democratic projectSpeaking to activists, NGO representatives and union leaders, Mabuyakhulu acknowledged the ANC’s “missteps” and “tactical errors”. But he insisted that the party remained indispensable to South Africa’s democratic project.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “The ANC is of the people and one with the people,” he declared, quoting Nelson Mandela to underscore the party’s historical ties to grassroots movements.



Mabuyakhulu’s speech leaned heavily on the ANC’s legacy. It invoked the Freedom Charter’s declaration that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it”. Yet his emphasis on renewal signalled a tacit admission of the party’s waning support after its dismal 2024 electoral performance.

Government of provincial unity“Heavy lies the head that wears the crown,” he conceded, referencing Shakespeare to justify the ANC’s struggle to meet heightened public expectations.He positioned the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) — formed after the ANC lost its outright majority in KZN — as a pragmatic solution to avert instability.“We did not throw a tantrum [after the 2024 polls] but sought to bring stability,” he said.

“Despite recent developments at the national government level, the GPU in KZN is not only stable but is also task with building a better province.”To counter perceptions of ANC incompetence, Mabuyakhulu highlighted the Presidential eThekwini Working Group, a public-private partnership initiative he credited with boosting business confidence and improving wastewater compliance in Durban.He said: “Business confidence has improved from a low of 45 to over 60.

7 in Quarter 4 2024...

Final effluent compliance has improved from 49% in 2023 to 68% in 2024.”Partnerships that deliver“This is what the ANC wants: partnerships that deliver.” He also announced timelines for infrastructure projects like the C3 Corridor — a road infrastructure project aimed at supporting the integrated public transport network and thereby densifying use along the transportation corridor.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});However, he acknowledged that the local government continued to be a weak point, while promising to eradicate corruption and establish “functional municipalities”.

He insisted accountability sessions with communities would ensure progress.In a bid to reclaim the ANC’s grassroots mantle, Mabuyakhulu implored civil society to “walk with us, challenge us, and hold us accountable”.“Civil society is neither a referee nor a spectator.

.. It is a guardian for our cherished democratic project.

” He said the ANC was born out of civil society, “and its destiny is inseparable from it.”Quoting Oliver Tambo, he warned, “A nation that does not take care of its children is a nation without a future” — a nod to youth unemployment and inequality plaguing KZN.Visit SW YouTube Channel for our video content.